


janet sits in her lonely room

by greywardenblue



Category: October Daye Series - Seanan McGuire
Genre: Gen, Spoilers for Book 14: A Killing Frost, seriously major spoilers don't click on this if you're not ready
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:49:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26364457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywardenblue/pseuds/greywardenblue
Summary: Gillian receives a letter. The mother that raised her calls the mother that birthed her for clarification, and finds more than she expects.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 56





	janet sits in her lonely room

"Mom?"

Her heart used to soar when she heard that word, knowing that nobody would ever take it from her. Nobody would ever take this child, the one Faerie abandoned. But that shows what a fool she is.

She forces a smile. "Yes, dear?"

Gillian is holding a piece of paper in her hand. "Who the hell are Lady Amandine and Simon Torquill," she asks, and instead of soaring, Janet's heart drops into her stomach, "And why am I supposed to care that they're getting divorced?"

"Let me see that." She takes the letter a bit more forcefully than she intended, and skims it. It looks almost like a wedding invitation, with the two names in fancy letters in the middle, the date and place a bit lower. Only it's for the opposite of a wedding.

With all her times at court, she can't recall attending an actual divorce with children involved.

"Amandine is..." She leans back against the counter to steady herself and hopes it's not too noticeable. "I think Amandine is October's mother. Simon must be her husband, although he is not October's father. If they are getting a fancy divorce, then he is likely to be full fae."

Gillian nods, uncertain. Janet had to tell her a long time ago how she used to live at a court of the fae, to explain why she knew all these things, but that didn't mean Gillian knew the full story. That didn't mean she knew about Amandine.

"So what does it have to do with me?"

Janet looks at the paper again. "It says the children of the couple will have to declare by one parent and their bloodline." She knows August exists, and that's about as far as her knowledge goes. She has never seen the girl. "If Amandine and Simon were married when Oct... when your mother was born." It feels painful to say it, but she had told October she would make space for both of them. She would try. "Then legally, she would count as their child too. That might be why you got a letter, but it doesn't sound like they expect you to do anything."

"... What happens if I don't go?"

Janet isn't sure. "We'd better call October and ask," she says finally.

In the kitchen, she puts the phone on speaker and puts it down between them so Gillian hears every word. There is a click as the phone is answered on the other side.

"--not want to be at that tower right now," October's voice comes through, not quite speaking into the phone. Then suddenly she is. "Daye residence, October speaking. Who can I get you?"

"October? This is Miranda."

There is a second of pause, then, "Miranda? What's happening? Is Gillian okay?"

"Yes. Yes, she's safe." Janet glances at Gillian sitting next to her, staring at the phone. "She's just a bit confused by a letter she got. I wanted to ask you about it."

"What kind of letter?"

"It's an invitation to your mother's divorce."

"Oh." There's another pause. "Is it a summons, or an invitation?"

"What's the difference?" Gillian mouths at her.

"It says an invitation," Janet says. "But how can I be sure?"

"Well, the one I got was a summons. I'm required to be at the ceremony, and if I don't show up, I can expect the Queen's guards to come to my house and drag me there." Gillian looks terrified at October's words, but the changeling woman goes on, "An invitation is supposed to be optional. Nobody is going to make her go, but they might... Hold on a second. Tybalt?" A pause, then October's voice again, speaking away from the phone but still audible. "Can anyone realistically claim offense if Gillian doesn't come to the divorce? Seriously, tell me the truth." A man's voice answers, but he's far enough from the phone that Janet can't make it out. Gillian leans closer. "Gillian is a hundred percent Roane," October says, with an unexpected harshness. "The only Firstborn who has a claim to her is the Luidaeg." The man says something more, then October is speaking into the phone again. "Okay, it's all good. Nothing will happen if she doesn't come."

Janet is trying to think of something to say instead of 'thank you', but Gillian is frowning, and she can't figure out why.

"You don't want her to go?" Janet asks, and from the look on Gillian's face, she got it right. October is silent.

"My home is always open to Gillian," she says after a pause. "And I will always, always want to see her. But do I want to have her in one room with my mother when she's already going to be pissed about being dumped? No, definitely not."

"If she wants to attend events in Faerie, she should come to our wedding instead," the man in the background says, this time loud enough to be audible. October hushes him away, but she's laughing.

"She sounds happy," Gillian murmurs, quiet enough that the phone likely doesn't pick it up. But who knows. Faerie always had sharp ears.

"Simon is the one who initiated the divorce?" Janet asks. She doesn't know the man, but his name is in the invitation.

"Yes. And good for him, honestly. He's walking out of this with two partners who love him and will treat him better than my mother did. Maybe he'll even keep a daughter or two."

She should hang up. This is not her family. It is not her right. It is not her business. "August will choose him?"

Gillian looks confused, mouthing "August?" at her, wondering who that means.

"I don't know for sure," October answers, oblivious to her daughter's presence. "Honestly, we haven't talked much. I know she loved them both equally as a child, but mother has been... different since then, and she got a taste of that since she came back. It could go either way."

"What about you? It should be an easy choice. This man had nothing to do with you."

October is silent again. "I didn't get very far with what my mother had to do with me," she says. "I suppose it runs in the family. _She_ never had a mother either."

Janet opens her mouth and she wants to say something, that it wasn't her choice, that Amandine had the Torquills, that she didn't need a human mother. Instead, she says, "I'm glad we cleared that letter up. Good luck with the divorce." A pause. "Goodbye, October."

"Janet..." October says, and Janet flinches.

"I'm hanging up," she says sharply, and she reaches for the phone to do just that.

"Janet, wait! This is important!" She stops. Gillian is looking at her strangely, and she should hang up, but October sounds so urgent. "You might get a visitor soon," October says, and she's speaking fast, like she's not sure she should be saying this, or like somebody might stop her if she takes too long. "Or you might not. He doesn't know where you are yet, but if he asks the Luidaeg, she won't lie. She cannot lie. Even if he knows where you are, he might not care. I don't know. He..." October pauses, and Janet dreads what comes next, because she already feels like she's falling. "Yours was the first name he said. He thought you would come for him."

"Mom, what the fuck is going on?!" Gillian snaps, unable to keep it in anymore. Janet doesn't move.

"Please," October pleads through the phone. "Please, if he comes for you, call me, or... or do something to keep Cliff and Gillian out of the way. Please. Gillian, if an impossible man shows up at your door, you _must_ call me."

Janet wants to laugh, and wonders what October thought he would do if he came. Kill her? Take her away from her husband? All these years, she held on to the memory of his kindness, but after the centuries she just isn't sure.

"Good luck with the divorce," Janet says, and hangs up.

"Mom?" Gillian asks. The key turns in the door.

"I'm home!" Cliff says happily, and Gillian shuts up. She cannot say anything, not with her father there, so she only glares.

"Welcome home, darling," Miranda says, kissing her husband's cheek. "I have a horrible headache. I'm going to lie down for a bit."

She locks the bedroom door behind her and sits on the bed without making a sound.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I feel like canon is very vague on how much Janet knows about the happenings, or how much Gillian knows about who she is. I may have missed something, but mostly I was winging this because I don't remember anything being clarified. (Which is understandable, because there's so many plotlines, but please I just want to know!)


End file.
